Falling In Love With Pampanga

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All my life I have been hearing about gastronomic adventures in Pampanga where everyone loves to cook (and cooks well at that). Pampanga has been a food Mecca for the Philippines with numerous food places and establishment delight local tourists and foreigners each and every time.

Guess it was high time for me to experience what Pampanga has to offer. So during the Rizal Day Holiday, I decided to go to Pampanga and get a taste (pun intended) of what this marvelous city has for my tongue and tummy. Good thing my friend, Peri who was based in Pampanga was kind enough to lead me to the right places and share some of the food with me.

I know there are already a lot of reviews about Pampanga restos out there so I went for a mix of institutions, known places and hidden gems in the city of Angeles.

ALING LUCING'S SISIG

The place that started sisig in the Philippines. Sisig is chopped up marinated and grilled pig's face (ears, snout, skin, fat, cartilage, some meat, sometimes liver), garlic onions and chili. Doesn't sound that appetizing huh? But it has been a staple in the Pinoy diet from breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner and pulutan while drinking roadside grill or fancy resto, at that.

Pinoys have reinvented the classic sisig with many variations in between.
1. Sizzling or not sizzling?
2. With our without mayonnaise?
3. "Healthier" alternatives like tuna, chicken, squid (who are we kidding?)

So for us to appreciate these variations, need to go back to its origin.



Dates back from the 70s. Aling Lucing a.k.a. Lucita Cunanan tragically passed away in 2008 though.

  If it was good enough for my idol Anthony Bourdain (watch the video of his sisig experience + more history in the link), then let's give it a shot!



Big servings on a sizzling plate good for 2-3 people (Php 175). You clothes will small like sisig though. haha I love crunchy bits that stick on the hot plate so I let it get crisp for a while before mixing.



Yum yum crispy bits! The mix is a bit fatty and salty but with the right mix of calamansi and a spoonful of rice - everything else should be fine. Actually had 1 1/2 rice! :p

This is not about which sisig is the best but really appreciating how it all started and tasting the dish that everybody loves now. If you reinvent something good like this, how could you go wrong?

Also ordered two more things they are serving that day which tickled my fancy.

Kilayen. We all know of kilawin (ceviche if you are sosyal) which is boiled pork marinated in vinegar, onions, garlic, black pepper, salt and chili - served cold. That's exactly that except that this one is sauteed with more vinegar. The meat is very tender and the sauce has this bite to it which I enjoyed. A bit oily because of the rendered fat from the pork but still quite enjoyable. (Php 40 per order)

CaraBeef Steak. Yup carabeef is Carabao meat. The piquant flavors of a bistek tagalog - fried onions, soy sauce and calamansi penetrate the meat well. The way they cooked it made the beef tender anough you will not think it's not from a cow. Trust me - nothing exotic-tasting about it. The raw onions are a nice touch. (Php 40 per order)

One more Kapampangan thing is that everything the cook is sauteed (ginigisa) in garlic, onions and tomatoes even their soups like nilaga and sinigang. This gives the dish depth of flavor.

If you are in Angeles, definitely worth the time and money to personally experience what the buzz is all about.

Visit Aling Lucing Sisig located at Valdez St Agapito Del Rosario Angeles City, Pampanga. For reservations call (045)8882317 or 09182126461 for franchising contact Zeny Cunanan 09395145112.

Operating Hours: Monday - Sunday, 6AM - 3 AM 

OUR OWN TIGER'S DRILL

Well-cooked food at a very reasonable price. Tiger's Grill as it is called is a bit off the main road - located inside a village where the house is converted into this outdoor grill place. You will not miss it as it is brightly colored with a big lighted signage. Ample parking with friendly parking attendants.

Guess if you are not from Pampanga, you will not be able to locate this (and I am not sure if I can trace my way back to this place). Not that many reviews about this restaurant too.

my tummy says "growl"!

Here is a glimpse of their pretty extensive menu:

Not bad ey? I was really surprised at the prices and the dishes they were serving. All the more when the food started to come out - very generous portions and are plated well, considering this was a grill place.

Their porterhouse was humongous compared to the ones in Manila (i.e. Slice & Dice which also costs Php 139 but is as thin as ham). My take is that it is around 200 - 250 g. Your money will come along way. Seasoned well, you can taste the goodness of the steak. Has a side of vegetables and choice of rice or (real) mashed potatoes.



I asked my steak medium and that's what I got! They cook their steaks pretty well.



This is the baby Back Ribs which is a steal at Php 119. Three ribs which are juicy and succulent with a nice smokey barbecue flavor. Look at how the jus (meat juices) drip on the plate. Caramelized onions give it depth and brings all the flavors together. Served on top of mashed potatoes (or rice).

Would not expect the Herbed Fried Calamares to be good coming from a grill house. The batter has chopped parsley and basil and the sauce (Mayonnaise and vinegar I suppose) echoes those fresh herbs too. For Php 119, this is really a must-try. Good for 2-3 people as appetizer.

Had to order extra garlic rice which was bursting with fried garlic and butter goodness! Better with the rice than mash po. And no meal is complete without a Coke Zero. :)

The ribs fall off the bone. This is served with the same gravy as the steaks. You can request for extra barbecue sauce which is exquisite.

Even if the food is not really traditional Pampanga fare (as if C's Italian is Kapampangan), these items are really one for the taking. You would pay threefold for a meal of this quality in Manila.

5157 Sumakwel Street, Bagong Bayan Subdivision, Angeles City.
Open daily from 5PM - 11 PM.

P&J's EVERYBODY'S CAFE

Everybody's Cafe is known to be "The Home of Authentic Kapampangan Food", and exotic if I may add. The cafe serves food turo-turo style where you point at the cooked dish you want at the counter and they heat and serve it up for you.

Here are some of the dishes people go here for. This is not screen caps from an Aliens movie! :)

Batute Tugak. Fried field frogs stuffed with pork. (Php 60 each)

Asadong Dila ng Baka. Braised beef tongue in sweet tomato sauce.

Adobong Camaru. Stir-fried Crickets.

Was so stuffed (like the frog) to eat in so decided to take some home for folks to also get a taste.

I've eaten frog before and yes they still taste like chicken!!! The meat filling inside is garlicky pork - similar to Vigan longganisa. Nice to dip it in more garlicky vinegar.

Everybody's Murcun. It's not like the morcon we know which is sliced of beef with sausage, eggs, pickles and cheese rolled inside it then stewed in a rich tomato sauce. This one is made up of pork, sausage, eggs and other fillings then wrapped in pork cowl (pig's stomach lining), steamed then fried.

The sauce is made up of more pork and crab fat (aligue) which makes it so rich and very  tasty. The murcun itself is not spectacular but get the sauce in and you will definitely ask for more rice.

Over-all the food is just ok since the it is more pricey than the two other restaurants I've been. The frog for Php 60 each and the murcun at Php 80 for 2 slices in the restaurant and P340 for one whole (which fits the styro below) has the price on an Abe restaurant.



Worth a try but would rather go the the "authentic" hole-in-the wall places in Pampanga. Check out their contact details above. The one at Nepo mall can sit 30 people comfortably.

It was kind of unfortunate that we dropped by Susie's Cuisine for the kakanin (rice cakes) and other sweets for pasalubong only to find out they close at 6PM. Was also planning to get tocino (cured sweet pork) from the wet market - stores in large plastic vats (batya) instead of the commercialized ones in vacuum sealed plastic, but then again they were closed. Tough luck - so had to get these instead for the people at home. :)



Pork and Chicken Tocino. Apparently Kapampangans "rinse" their tocino before cooking. Removes the extra sweetness and also prevents it from burning too fast. Nothing worse than tocino that tastes like charcoal.



Turones de Kasuy & Uraro Cookies

Turones is a sweet delicacy where toffee with chopped roasted cashew nuts is wrapped is edible "paper" made up of wheat flour and water. Similar to how the church wafer (host) tastes. Portions are just sized right - I'm sure nibbling just one ain't enough. (big can of 75 pcs for Php 150)

Uraro as we call it actually is made from the flour of the Arrowroot plant (guess people from back then overheard and pronounced it uraro). It is similar to the cassava plant where the root crop (actually a rhizome) is dried and ground up to a powder for use as thickeners and mainly starch for both sweet and savory dishes. Uraro used to be made by Monks/Nuns in the 18th century and had fancy molds which allude to the beautiful church architecture. These are simpler and cut with a flower cookie cutter. Has a nice crunch and a hint of vanilla. Have something to drink ready, the cookie dries up your mouth because of its powdery texture. Big jar for Php 100.

It's official! I have fallen in love with Pampanga. It was just the tip of the iceberg and I will definitely go back. So little time so much to eat! Really a bittersweet journey. Join me next time ayt? :)